In a news release Jan. 9, the province announced it's partnering with Mitacs to train the next generation of skilled workers that will help find solutions for healthcare, clean-tech and other sectors that require highly qualified researchers.

With $13 million in additional funding, the government is hoping to create up to 3,200 more paid internship opportunities for post-secondary students and others studying in Nova Scotia over the next four years.

"Mitacs is an organization really set up to train the next generation of skilled workers in really trying to find important solutions for Nova Scotia in health care and clean tech and any other sectors that require highly qualified researchers. So this $13 million investment is a huge game changer for Nova Scotia," said Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education.

He said these internships are setup for postdocs, graduate students, and for recent graduates looking to work in businesses in the government, in order to solve some of Nova Scotia's pressing solutions.

"One of my dreams as Minister of Advanced Education is that all students have some kind of work-integrated learning experience and this is exactly what Mitacs. By increasing from 250 internship units to 4,200, it is a big deal," said Wong.

A Mitacs internship entails 16 weeks of training, approximately four months to gain experience in the industry and make connections.

Wong added Hollo Medical, an organization founded to reduce the burden of chronic respiratory diseases, went through the program and developed their own business.

"They're starting businesses and adding to our economy and our population. And as you know, our government has ambitious population and economic goals," said Wong.

Listen to the full CKDU interview below: